Indicating device for playing cards



Jan. 15, 1929. 1,698,776

s. F. WILLIAMSON INDICATING DEVICE FOR PLAYING CARDS Filed June 18, 1928 Inventor.

J. Han]: Will iamson,

we. g if Patented Jan. 15, 1929.

STATES SAMUEL FRANK WILLIAMSON, 0F PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

INDICATING DEVICE FOR PLAYING CARDS.

Application filed. June 18, 1928.

It is customary in playing a game of cards to use two packs or decks, so that while one pack is being dealt the other pack can be shuffled.

The newly shufied deck is placed on the table face down ready to be taken up by the nextdealer, but because of the mental hazards accompanying a game of cards confusion often arises as to which of the players is the next dealer and it is the object of my invention to avoid this uncertainty and its attendant loss of time and useless discussion amongst the players.

My invention therefore consists of an indicating device which is to be associated with the pack of newly shuifled cards to designate by its position the player who is to deal said pack of cards. The device has the characteristic not only of indicating the position of the next dealer, but it has the further characteristic of acting as a tell-tale, in the sense that it will show by its position whether or not the player has given attention to the setting of the indicator, and in this way the device will act as a check against oversight or carelessness on the part of the player.

The device is shown in the accompanying drawing in which it is shown in side elevation.

The device consists of a figure having a head, body, arms, legs, feet and hands. It may be a representation of one of the figures on the face cards such as the king, queen, or jack, or it may be a representation of any other figure, or it may be in non-representative form but still have the necessary characteristics to enable the purposes of the invention to be carried out. One characteristic of the device is that it must be associated directly with the newly shuffled pack of cards in order to be set up in its upright position. For this purpose the device has one portion to rest on the table and another portion to rest on the newly shuffled pack of cards. Unless both of these portions are resting on their respecttive supporting surfaces, the one on the table and the other on the pack of cards the device will topple over and lie prone, and it will thus act as a tell-tale to all the players that it has not received the prescribed attention and setting that it is the duty of the player to give.

\Vhile the invention may be carried out in various ways the figure chosen to illustrate the principle of the invention has one foot at a higher elevation than the other, the leg of that foot extending forwardly from the body substantially at right angles thereto and being Serial No. 286,474.

bent at the knee so as to extend downwardly right angles to the horizontally disposed thigh.

The other leg of the figure extends straight down from the body. The elevation of the raised foot is such that it will reston the pack of cards when the other foot is resting on the table. The directing indicator may consist of a variety of means. In the particular form of the invention shown it consists of an extended arm of the device with the index finger in pointing position, the other arm and hand being at the side of the figure.

The extended arm substantially overlies the extended leg while the arm that hangs is close to the vertical plane in which the vertically extending leg is located. By reason of this relative arrangement of the arms and legs of the figure it is impossible to set the figure upright unless both feet find a support. Otherwise the weight of the extended arm and leg will overbalance the weight of the other parts and the device will topple over and lie prone, As long as the device lies prone it will show that the player on whom rests the duty of establishing an indication as to the next dealer, is careless or inattentive and the presence of the device thus acts as a check to assure a set up of the indicator under the eye of all the players.

The device follows the newly shuffled pack of cards about the table and acts as a weight to keep them in order. a

The face of the figure is turned in the same direct-ion that the arm and index figure points and thus by its position serves as a direction indicator. The device, for its setting as an indicator is dependent upon its association directly with a pack of cards and as the one pack of cards is already in use by the players at the time the setting must take place, the only available pack is the newly shuffled one.

I claim:

1. Means for indicating the next dealer of a pack of playing cards consisting of a member aoapted to assume an upright position relative to a card table, having a portion to rest on the pack of cards and a portion in a lower plane torest on the table when said means is set in said normal upright position, substantially as described.

2. Means for indicating the next dealer of a pack of playing cards consisting of a memher having a portion to rest on a pack of cards and a portion to rest on the table and to assume its indicating position only when both portions are resting, said portions being at different elevations and at least one of them extending in a plane parallel with the table top, substantially as described.

0. Means for indicating the next dealer of a pack of playing cards consisting of a member having a portion to rest on the table and a portion to rest on a pack of playing cards and to assume an upri ht position relative to the table top only .vhe moth portions are resting, said mm i1" 111(2Ll1S for indicating the locati, i nezit dealer, substantially as described. 7

l. llileans for indicating the next dealer of a pack oi pla ing cards consisting of a member having a supporting portion to rest on the table and a portion to rest on the pack of cards, said portions being at different elevations and at least one of them having a bearing surface extending in a plane parallel with the table top When resting thereon, said memher having a pointer to indicate the dealer of said pack of cards.

5. Means according to claim 1 in which the member is in the form of a figure having its supporting portions in the form or" feet, with their under surfaces in planes parallel With the table top and at different elevations, and the pointer in the form of an arm.

6. Means for indicating the next dealer of a pack of playing cards according to claim 1, having a head with a face made up of substantially the usual features of eyes, nose and mouth, to serve as a direction indicator.

l a pack of playing cards according to claim 1 and consisting of a figure representing sub stant-ially one of the ligures pictured on a face card of playing cards, substantially as described.

8. Means for indicating the n zit dealer in a game of cards consisting of a figure having one foot portion to rest upon a table, an extended leg portion having its toot portion to rest upon a pack of playing cards, and an extended arm to serve as a pointer, said extended arm and extended leg being on the same side of the device to overbalance the rest of the device, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof, I affiX my signature.

SAMUEL FRANK /VlLLlAldSOll.

. Means for indicating the next dealer of 

